Hilton triumphs over Northwood in a goal-fest
Hilton College made their trip to Northwood worthwhile, making good use of their chances to come away with a 5-3 victory over their hosts in an enthralling contest on Saturday.
Ethan Maltby, Oyena Zulu, Anthony Crossley, Darryn Bridgeford, and Tadi Hove were on target for the visitors.
The Knights, at home, are tough, but Hilton was up for the challenge. Coach Damian Kimfley‘s charges put out a statement of intent early on, starting brightly and making runs into the Northwood final third. Five minutes in, they won a penalty corner.
Hilton went with a straightforward routine, but they executed it well and Ethan Maltby drilled the ball past Northwood’s defenders and goalkeeper to give the visitors the lead.
They almost doubled it seconds before the end of the quarter with another short corner, but the Northwood defence held.
Midway through the second quarter, though, Hilton struck again. This time, Kimfley’s charges combined for a field goal, with Oyena Zulu finding the back of the net as Hilton established a two-goal cushion, which they took into the halftime break.
Early in the third chukka, Northwood pulled one back, executing a penalty corner of their own. However, that one-goal deficit stood for only a few minutes before the Knights’ defences were again breached.
Hilton made ground down the left channel, with Anthony Crossley exhibiting some good skills after receiving the ball just inside Northwood’s half. He rounded a defender with a deft change of pace and direction, then drove along the baseline before, somehow, finding enough room to slot the ball into the back of the goalbox to make it 3-1.
Darryn Bridgeford added to Northwood’s misery when he fired in Hilton’s fourth with four minutes left in the chukka.
Coach Justin Collins‘s Northwood side is known to come on strong late in their matches, and they found their second wind after going three goals behind. They kept their heads down and stayed focused as they hunted for a goal to reduce the gap. They were rewarded with seconds left in the quarter, putting away a rebound after a sharp shot on goal had been saved.
Trailing 2-4, the Knights threw players into the attack and that brave approach brought them further reward when, with only eight minutes remaining, they scored again to pull within a goal of Hilton after a deflected shot wrong-footed the ‘keeper.
Hilton, however, had the final say and they deflated Northwood’s wheels when Tadi Hove restored their two-goal advantage with another well-worked field goal.
Northwood had an opportunity to cut the deficit by one when they won a short corner in the dying moments of the match, but their effort, from the top of the circle, flashed wide of the goalbox.
Collins’ charges won another penalty corner shortly afterwards. This time they hit the target, but the Knights’ shot was rejected, and Hilton claimed a tightly contested 5-3 win.
RESULTS
Hilton 5-3 Northwood
